A narrative inquiry of community college faculty perceptions of the role of intrusive advising in student success
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Community colleges play a significant role in maintaining economic stability in the United States (Davis, 2008). President Barack Obama (2009) indicated that there is an unprecedented urgency for community colleges to increase their certificate and degree completion rates, because successful community college graduates contribute to sustaining the local and national economies. The large student population community colleges serve, combined with the economic and workforce needs they fulfill, place student success in the spotlight for community colleges. \nStudent success is measured by retention and graduation rates (Burns, 2010; Mullin, 2012; Nitecki, 2011). Community college faculty spend the greatest amount of time with students and have the greatest opportunities to impact student success (Perez, McShannon, & Hynes, 2012). One strategy that is showing promise in increasing student success is intrusive advising, which is a type of academic advising, and can be used to influence student success due to its integration of greater communication and faculty engagement in the advising process, which is different than other advising models. \nThe purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of community college faculty about intrusive advising and its impact on student success. Of specific focus was how faculty perceive intrusive advising as a tool for student success, how faculty perceive their role in intrusive advising, faculty’s perceptions of what the benefits and challenges are for implementing intrusive advising in community colleges, as well as how their community colleges support intrusive advising. \nA qualitative methodology and collective case study research design study was used to address the four research questions that guided this study. The study was framed by a conceptual framework based on the engagement model of academic advising developed by Yarbrough (2002). There were eight faculty participants, four from each of two rural-serving community colleges located in the South Plains region of West Texas. Data was collected through multiple avenues including the researcher, semi-structured interviews, field notes, observations, reflexive journaling, and documents. The constant-comparative method and axial coding were used to analyze the data collected, and trustworthiness was incorporated into the research process. \nThe results of the study illustrate that community college faculty support intrusive advising as a tool for student success, as their experiences with it have shown that it can positively impact student retention and completion rates. As intrusive advisors, the participants serve in the roles of personal and institutional connection, course scheduler, and communications link for their students. Other results from the study included that there are benefits and challenges in implementing intrusive advising systems in community colleges, but that college administration positively supports intrusive advising, and provides resources to support it, though they are limited. \nThe results of this study lead to several implications for higher education practice, including the need to mandate academic advising for community college students to ensure their success. In addition, failure of these institutions to allocate the resources needed to implement and support intrusive advising may result in continued struggles in the areas of student success. The results of this study support that intrusive advising is one strategy that institutions of higher education can use to help increase student retention and graduation rates.
Author: Kinsey O. Hansen
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2570905854